The Indiana State sentinel., 1887-04-06
A BIG SALARY LIST.
How the Members Of Congress Are Paid in
Vacation.
Five Thousand Dollars Day for Doing
Nothing Methods Of the Sergeant
alarms ONCE.
Special to ne Sentinel.

SDeoiAl 70 ocullutks
WAsH1NGroN, April The Sergeant-at-
Arms of the House and his subordinates
are busy today sending out checks to the
members Of the Fiftieth Congress. They
are the first months salary of each MEM
Der of the House for the Fiftieth Congress.
To g hundred or 80 CT them the experience
OF receiving these checks will be new and
novel. Each check is for S416 and
fraction, this being the amount OF the
salary for each month. What big lump
of money this will be to a go0d many oil
them, and how they will wonder what they
have done 70 earn 1t. And so do some
other people wonder about the same thing.
It does seem good deal, doesn't il, to pay
fellow for staying at home and doing
nothiug7 Yet there are some iconoclastlc
individuals who insist that the money
could be paid with much greater business
propriety If they should continue to stay
at home. Anyway, the example set to-day,
the close Of the first month OF the life OF
the Fifusth Congress, is to be followed
month by month during the two years that
it is to continue in existence. Multiply
this monthly stipend of a MEM
Der by 400, the number OF members
of House and Senate, and what do you get?
One hundred and sixty thousand dollars
for months services, while no services
have been performed. Over 5000 day
to pay Congressman for staying at home
and letting the country take care OF itself.
There Will probably be eight more
monthly payments of this sort, aggregaling
81, SEQ, 600, before the country gets any
services out Of the new Congress.
The payment of the salaries Of Congress
men at this time, when there is no session
and the members are all out OF the city, is
made by warrant on the Sub Treasury near
est the residence of the Congressman. Tue
Ohio members, for instance, receive war
rants on the sub Treasurer at Cincinnati;
so do the Kentucky members. Those
Of Illinois and Wisconsin and Iowa
receive warrants drawn on the Chicago
sub-Tressury. They are forwarded to the
members by mail and by them are usually
turned in at some local bank, for they are
recognized as being 'as good as wheat:"
From the bank they are sent to the SUBJ
Treasury and there are cashed.
During the session, when the members
are here. they get their money direct from
the Sergeant-at-AIms, or his deputies. At
each end of the building, Just by the
House and lust by the Senate, is room
fitted up like the business part of bank
long handicapped counters, with heavy
wire screens in front, big safes of the most
approved pattern behind, paying tellers,
book-keepers and all the paraphernalia of
a banking establishment. On the desks
outside the railing are blank warrants
WHICH LDt udS Ouly W w WACl
he wants lump of bis salary. he may draw
all that has accrued up to a given time,
or he may draw as much or as little
of it as he sees ft, and leave the
balance to his credit Just as though IL were
bank of deposit. If be wants to pay some
money to fellow member, or any ybOdy
else, such as a poker debt for instance he
may give warrant on the Sergeantat-
Arms. And good many of 'em do it, too.
1t is related that the entire salary OF one of
the Kentucky members used to go for
months at time, on orders Of this sort, TO
one of the sweetest-looking, most demure
members of the Ohio delegation, one
whom you wouldn't suspect OF knowing
ore card from another. Sometimes it hap
pens, but very rarely, however, that q
member gets to such desperate straits that
he gives orders for more than his months
salary, or in other words duplicates his
pay accounts. This, it may be said with
satisfaction, does not often occur. Some
times they ask to overdraw, but this is q
very difficult thing to accomplish.
Some of the wealthier members, who are
not Dependent on their salaries for current
expenses, not only permit their salaries tC
accumulate IN the Office of the Sergeant-at
Arms but add TO the sum any funds thai
they may happen to bring with them or re
ceiYe while here. The Sergesnt-at-Arms
office is close Il hand, more convenient
IMAM l1S Daua ana fQuallE SAFE anu !
often becomes q bank of deposit sometime.
for large sums One wealthy member o
the House, from the Northwest, used tC
have, IL is said, as bIgh as SO 600 or $50 0Ol
at q time in the big safe in the Office of th'
SeTgeant-at-Arns These are, however, ex
oeptional cases. As a rule the average
member keeps his salary drawn pretty
closely. having bat q small margin TO hi
credit Sometimes outside parties, those
not in the employ OF the Government
make use OF these banking facilities.
YOU have a check that you want cashed a
the Capitol you can be accommodated a
the Sergeantat-Arms' Office by first gettin
some member TO indorse the check for you
The payments which are made over tn
counter at these Congressional banks or
usually in crisp new bills or bright silge
dollars The money comes, IN most cases
direct from the Treasury, and great man.
Of the bills are entirely new, fresh from th
printing presses at the Bureau of Pfintin
and Engraving. In fact, this is peculia
and pleasing feature Of most of the none
that is afoat in Washington. The thou
sands OF Government employees, forming
large percentage OF the population, &c
their salaries IN crisp, new money, and tn
local banks usually trade their worn ell
reDcy for new at the Treasury, aud the re
suit is bright, clean, crisp money every
where.